Dunn Deal

Bennett Dunn’s turn as a legendary singer has drawn rave reviews. But have you heard him play the bagpipes?

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Rock ’n’ Roll Fantasy

Club Phred passes a fundraising milestone with a little help from some famous friends.

Fred Dawson is working feverishly to make another rock ’n’ roll slam dunk.

His band, Club Phred, jammed with the horn section of the “The Late Night with David Letterman Show” band at the Baby Grand last October, which put the band past the million-dollar mark in cash raised for charity.

Club Phred, in fact, has raised more than $1.2 million for organizations such as The Wellness Community and the Delaware Breast Cancer Coalition since it formed in 2002, just by rockin’.

Dawson, a financial planner and organist, met “Late Night” band trombonist Tom “Bones” Malone in 1994. Malone, who arranged music for “Saturday Night Live” from 1975 to 1985, wrote the chart for the skit that turned John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd into The Blues Brothers and started a phenomenon.

Dawson met Malone again two years ago while recording “Gimme Some Lovin’” with Spencer Davis, the guy who co-wrote the classic, during a rock ’n’ roll fantasy camp. When Malone and the “Late Night” horn section popped into the studio unannounced, they decided to accompany Dawson. “You could see the wallpaper peeling,” Dawson says. “We all came unglued.” Dawson was so juiced he swore he’d get the guys to Delaware. Now he wants to get them back again. Malone thinks it’s a possibility.

“Jamming with Club Phred is really fun,” Malone says. “They play all of my favorite tunes, they’re all great players, and they collectively have a vibe.”

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